


I Need You Now

by CrescentMoonRising



Series: Theory and Practice [3]
Category: Loki - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Loki being Loki, Missing someone, alex finds a way, also tony being tony, how do you call asgard, tony on the assist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-03 17:57:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10253750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrescentMoonRising/pseuds/CrescentMoonRising
Summary: Alexandra is missing a certain demigod, but has no idea how to contact him.  With a little help from a friend, she finds a way to connect with her former lover.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you from the bottom of my black heart to OldVictoria who sent the prompt, when the new photo appeared. This broke a six month writing hiatus for me.

Alex tapped her fingers along the wooden desk, facing the window that looked out to the back of Clint’s property.  With the stillness of the night, the moon shone bright enough to illuminate the vast forest and hills that stretched to the horizon.  Save a stray owl or rustle through the trees, it was silent.  That was a good thing, considering the two small children and one newborn who also resided in the large farmhouse.

Alex moved to open her laptop, to continue her futile search for the father of those beautiful children.In the meantime, she decided a little bit of music was needed to fill the void.Even after all this time she’d spent in Idaho, her New York City roots kept some of their hold.While sleep was never a friend to her, she could at least get some relief with background noise.She opened her music app and hit shuffle.For a quick second, she paused when the first song came on.Her finger hovered over the skip button before she decided on letting the song play out.

_It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now_

_Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now_

_And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now_

Alex could not figure why she felt that pang from the words.  After all, she heard it so many times, and it never made a dent on her.  However, on this night, she felt her mind wander back to Manhattan.

Flashes of a certain raven haired demigod ran through her mind.She couldn’t help but turn towards her chair, the one she found him in on her birthday.So much time had elapsed, Alex could not remember the exact amount.If she was honest, she had not thought of Loki for months. That made her wonder—had he forgotten about her as well?

“Well, maybe there’s no cell service on Asgard,” she grumbled as she pulled her laptop onto the desk.With a deep and heavy sigh, her hand ran across her shoulder, pressing deep into the muscles that never seemed to relax.Just as the computer whirred to life, her phone pinged for a message.

_No. Fucking. Way._  she thought.However, when she looked at her screen and spied the message from the "anonymous" sender, she realized that her former lover had not figured out how to use a cellular device.

_Pizza delivery.I even made sure they put extra meatballs on this time._

She rolled her eyes before placing her phone back on the desk.With pinpoint precision, she tiptoed out of her room and closed the door without making a peep.The whole house had learned to keep as quiet as possible while the baby slept, lest they be in charge of managing a cranky and tired miniature Barton for a few hours.

Once boots and jacket were acquired, Alex tread across the frozen ground, her feet making a delightful crunch on every step.She headed towards the old barn on the far end of the property, spying a light shining from inside.Her hands dug deeper into her pockets, although the cold never seemed to affect her anymore. 

The creak of the wooden door was not loud enough to drown out her words, “That better be from the place on 57th, otherwise you can take your suit and head back home.”Even with her annoyance at the late night arrival, she appreciated the company more than she would care to admit.

Tony Stark sat back on a stack of hay bales with a smug smile that shone through the limited light, “Please.Do you think I’d bring anything else? I caught them right before they closed, but I think my tip made up for their overtime.” With a flash of his hand, a beer bottle flew through the air.Alex caught it mid-stride before pulling over a bale to Tony’s right.

He chuckled, “Your reflexes are a thing of beauty.Bruce needs to transform before he can demonstrate those strengths… the fact you can pull them on will?It’s brilliant, just like you, Alexandra….”

“Cut the crap, Tony.” Alex’s deep green eyes stared right through her companion’s.“If you’re here to shine me on, I’m in no mood.You have no idea what it is like here, day in and out without Clint. What Linda has to go through on a regular basis without her husband. How her kids are suffering without their father…”

It was Tony’s turn to cut her off, “I know! Don’t you think I feel horrible every goddamn day about it? That I want to pull every resource and find him? Find all of them? It’s the same thing for Scott! His daughter needs him!But you know as well as I, if I find them…”

“They’re all back on the pod in the ocean,” she deadpanned.  With a shake of her head, she looked up to find a slice waving in the air.  A small moan passed through her lips as she recognized the greasy, cheesy delight, one she missed beyond measure since her relocation to the mid-west.  She accepted the slice, prompting another, louder moan as it met her lips.

Tony’s eyebrow raised, “If I knew it’d get that kind of a reaction, I would have been here sooner.”

“Ass,” she snapped before kicking his leg.He laughed, but the wince that flicked across his face made her realize she left a mark.They spent a few moments in silence, enjoying Manhattan’s finest before Tony broke through again.

“So, what’s _your_ reason for not sleeping tonight? Me? I just get bored and then screw around with stuff, causing some type of incident necessitating fire and safety at the Tower. So, I filled up the suit's tank and made out West. The trick was to keep the pizza warm enough the entire way, but the boosters are pretty good toasters as I've now found out.  Every day's a new adventure.” He finally quieted long enough to allow Alex a word in edgewise, but she found herself remaining silent.

Alex hesitated to express her true concerns, admitting, “You know I have trouble sleeping. My mind starts going and I can’t stop it.Plus my energy revs up unexpectedly, and my body needs to move.It’s overwhelming.But going for a ten mile run in the middle of the night isn’t the best option either.”

Tony sighed, “I wish Bruce was here, he’d have answers. He is the expert on all of this, or he would know exactly how to figure them out.He’s so much better at this side of science than me.”

Alex treaded lightly, “No sign of him, or…?”

He shook his head woefully, “Nope.Neither him nor Thor.Both of them have been off the grid for a long time now.Far as we can tell, Bruce may be with Hammertime, but he’s not responding to any attempts we’ve made to get a signal out.”

“No cell service on Asgard,” she said sorrowfully. Tony’s eyes widened.

“Oh, but it’s not those two you are wondering about.”

Alex choked on the crust, hoping that would cover her flushed cheeks. It was futile, as Tony leaned forward into her chest.

“You’re wondering about the Asgardian nightmare who made you into a quasi-god yourself, aren’t you?”

This time her lips passed a groan of disgust, “And what if I am? Is that so horrible?”

“Um, _yes_.Yes it is.Did you forget what he did while he was here? _Twice_? Need I remind you, he threw me off Stark Tower!”

“We both know you deserved it, let’s be honest, Tony.” He let out a low laugh at her words as she continued, “Yes, I am aware of all the horrible, no-good deeds Loki performed while he was a visitor of Earth.”She twisted the bottle in between her fingers as she treaded towards the words in her mind with caution.

“I saw someone different. Unfortunately, we’re kinda cut from the same cloth.”

“Arrogant? Stubborn? Tyrannical? Yeah, I can see that in you.”

Alex took another bite as she narrowed her eyes, “Sounds like someone else in this room.Besides, I can’t help it.” She turned her eyes to her hands, remembering Loki holding them as he asked her to return to Asgard with him.

Tony’s sigh, instead of a lecture, brought relief to her body, “We want what we want, especially when we can’t have it.”  He took a large bite of another slice before downing the rest of his beer.

“Seriously though, come back to Stark Tower with me.I can at least run some tests, monitor your vitals and see what’s ticking inside you.We could maybe figure out how to use some of these new tricks for good.” 

Her voice belied her sadness,   “Fury said I can’t come back.”

Tony _psshed_ , “If you’re with me, he wont care.He’s got bigger fish to fry from what I’m hearing anyways.”

The Stark charm turned on as his lips curled into a grin, “We could raise all sorts of hell in New York City.  You know you want to come back home.  We have pizza, sushi, Thai..."”

Alex shrugged, “Linda and the kids need me here.Until we know what’s going on with Clint, I’m not leaving their side.”

That hit a note with Tony, and his mood flashed morose again.Tossing his crust into the cardboard box, he stood up to brush off the crumbs.

“I get that.But one day, I will find a way to get them back—all of them. And when that happens, I want you with us, Alex.We need you on our side too.”He walked over to the doors as pieces of the suit flew and attached to his body in synchrony.

“Enjoy the pizza.If you’re ever in the mood again, you can just send me a signal.”

“Oh? What would that be? Like a giant illuminated picture of your face in the sky?” she said while laughing.

He rolled his eyes before the faceplate snapped on. “No,” came the mechanical voice, “you just have to call.”With that the boosters ignited and he was off and in the air. 

His words rang in her mind the entire walk back to the house, and even after she sank into her chair.The pizza sat next to her, growing colder by the moment.Not that she cared, cold pizza was just as good as fresh out of the oven, in her mind. 

_If I knew how to call him…_ and the realization hit her like a ton of bricks.She sprung towards her closet and began pulling out boxes until she found the one she wanted.The thin, flat box was inside another one that held her old headphones.

However, the diamond necklace Loki had given her on her birthday shone more than any piece of electrical equipment she owned.Gently taking it out of the box, it rested in her hands with an air of reverence.She remembered his words—to wear it always.However it felt so heavy…so cold.She had a hard time adjusting to the sensation.

She walked over to her small mirror on the wall and placed the brilliant piece of jewelry around her neck.Her fingers floated over the rows of diamonds, remembering the feel of Loki’s fingers on her from their last time together.

_You never did like listening to others, did you, Alexandra?_

Alex managed to hold back her yelp as she snapped her head around the room.His voice was so clear, so crisp in her ear, she thought he was right next to her.However, she was alone—and she could not sense his presence near her.

She turned back to the mirror and spoke to her own reflection, “Loki?”

_I told you to wear the necklace, Doctor.You would have learned so much, grown so much stronger._

Her breath left her body, “All this time…how?”

With just his voice, she could still hear the aggravation seep through: _It has powers beyond protection. It is how I can find you, sense you, no matter where you are.However, it needs to be worn on the person for that to take place._

“So it’s a tracking device as well? That’s a bit stalkerish, don't you think?”

_I believe it contacted me because you desired me?_

Alex’s laugh was natural, and felt free, “Touché.”Suddenly, she struggled to speak.Saying what she wanted to say meant confessing to her feelings.That was something she dreaded most of all.

“I—“ she began, staring at her fingers as they rested against the pendant.  It was then she realized: she needed to live in the moment in her grasp.  Who knew when she could have this moment again?

“I miss you.”The room grew heavy with silence. She almost took the necklace off, when his voice whispered in her ear.

_Alexandra, rarely a day goes by without a thought of you._

Her shoulders dropped back as a contented breath floated from her lips. She readied to say more, but Loki spoke first.

_I am not on Asgard, and I am assisting my brother with business in the realms.Unfortunately, my time with you tonight will be short.However, you should know one thing._ Alex held her breath before his next words floated through.

_My dear Doctor, there may be a chance for us to be together again…if my plans succeed._

“Always three tricks up your sleeve, Loki.I would expect nothing less.”

_Goodnight, Alexandra.Wear the necklace, it will help with your rest._ With that, she could sense an energy loss in the room.Instinctively she knew he was gone.Again.

The smile never left her face as she turned out the lights before crawling onto the bed.She curled around one of her pillows, hugging it into her chest. Her eyes turned to the window and she watched the trees sway in the distance.The wind rushed against the panes of glass, almost sounding like a set of chimes playing a song.It would be the last thing she would hear before falling into a rare, peaceful slumber.


End file.
